not only our terrific staff, but our incredible volunteers. I would like to dedicate this article to all those who volunteer for the good of the game at so many levels. At the NCGA we have

three volunteer boards (NCGA, Poppy Holding and the Foundation) who provide great leadership and vision for their respective organizations. We also have 250 volunteers that serve as course raters and rules officials, providing well over 2,500 days a year to staff NCGA tournaments and events on their own time and travel expense. They do this with enthusiasm and support to assist you in navigating the golf course during your competition, or in providing the numbers that form the course and slope ratings that determine your handicap. We would not be one of the most highly regarded regional golf associations in the country without them. So from the heart of the entire staff, thank you! Recognition and ap-

preciation certainly goes beyond our walls when you consider the time spent by officers at each of 396 golf courses and more than 750 associate clubs. Each of these clubs has volunteers that donate time to contrib- ute to the success of every club—whether arriving early for a play day, staying up late working on pairings

or serving many hours at a board room table ensuring the vitality and harmony of the membership. Golf is a great game

and everything about this game is good, but we can all agree it would not be half as special if it weren’t for the golf professionals who teach and promote the game, the amateur bodies who steward participation and all of those who give back to their clubs to simply make it bet- ter for everyone. On October 5 we hosted the annual TOCR (Tournament Officials and Course Raters) Day at Poppy Hills. This a fun, nearly end-of-season event for our volunteers to get together and play some golf. The camaraderie is great, and the friendships cultivated through serving together and the stories shared are really special. If you are interested in being part of this group, please reach out to Ryan Gregg

at rgregg@ncga.org or at 831/625-4653. We welcome all interested members. By virtue of this article—

thank you all! One other closing piece

of news: We are full steam ahead toward the prepara- tion of the Poppy Hills renovation project that begins in March 2013. Ev- erything is progressing as it should with final prepara- tion in hiring a golf course contractor and pulling our grading permit. This is re- ally exciting, and as we pre- pare to close down Poppy Hills superintendent Manny Sousa and his team are keeping the course in great condition and ready for you to come out and play. So be sure to schedule one (or more) rounds at your original NCGA members’ course before the renova- tion project commences. For more information on the renovation, including hole- by-hole diagrams, visit ncga. org/poppyhills-renovation.